Description

Acclaim's baseball series makes its debut on the Game Boy Advance with All-Star Baseball 2003. It has less modes and features than the console version and is presented in 2D graphics adapted to the platform.

Game modes include Quick Game (random match-up), Exhibition, All-Star Game, Batting Practice, Home Run Derby, Season (8 different length and mode combinations) and World Series. There is also a two-player mode via link cable.

Gameplay follows the traditional model. Players control pitching, batting and fielding. For pitching and batting, the view is from behind the batter. Batting involves moving a triangular cursor to aim the bat and pushing a button for swinging or bunting. The triangular cursor can be turned off for an attempt at a power swing, which is harder to hit but almost guarantees a home run. The pitcher selects the type of pitch from a menu. During fielding, the game switches to an overhead view of the field, realized through a Mode-7-style sprite/background layer engine. The ball's landing place and running lines are indicated through a red marker and yellow lines, respectively. The camera moves and zooms automatically to focus on the action.

Like the console version, the GBA title has a trading card feature. Cards are gained by winning games in many of the modes and can be traded with another player via link cable.